Comments Off on Coca-Cola rewards recycling in the UK with half-priced theme park tickets

Many theme-park visitors in the U.S. are familiar with using bottles or cans of soda they’ve purchased to score a discounted entry to their favorite attractions. Now, the U.K. is joining in with “reverse vending machines” to reward visitors instantly for recycling . Merlin , owner and operator of several U.K. resort theme parks, has teamed up with Coca-Cola to boost recycling and combat litter pollution in the U.K. As part of Coca-Cola’s rewards program, visitors may now deposit their finished 500 ml beverage containers into “reverse vending machines” and obtain 50 percent off vouchers in exchange for their environmental contribution. “We want to reward people for doing the right thing by recycling their bottles and hope to encourage some people who wouldn’t otherwise have done so,” Jon Woods, general manager of Coca-Cola U.K. and Ireland, told The Guardian . The machines are installed at four Merlin-operated attractions: Chessington World of Adventures, Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and LEGOLAND . But those who are rewarded with discounts can use their prizes at any of the 30 attractions operated by Merlin in the country. The promotion is planned to continue until mid-October, when most of the parks will shut down for the winter season. Related: This floating park in Rotterdam is made from recycled plastic waste Of the 13 billion plastic bottles sold yearly in the U.K., only 7.5 billion are recycled, according to a report by the Guardian . This initiative is hoping to shift these statistics more favorably while also eliminating the 700,000 bottles that are littered daily. “All of our bottles can be recycled, and we want to get as many of them back as possible, so they can be turned into new bottles and not end up as litter,” Woods said. According to research by Coca-Cola, 64 percent of people in the U.K. would be more inclined to recycle more if they were instantly compensated for their actions. The move to encourage recycling at theme-parks comes after Co-op , the first retailer in the U.K. to launch deposit return trials with the reverse vending machines, reported positive feedback from its partnership with popular summer music festivals. This recycling movement will help tackle the stresses government officials face in light of growing land and marine pollution. + Coca-Cola Via The Guardian and BusinessGreen Image via Shutterstock

Comments Off on Taj Mahal will be restored to original glory thanks to environmental and cultural push

The Taj Mahal, India’s world-famous monument to love, is sparking a powerful environmental and national heritage movement due to the extreme pollution turning the iconic white building yellow and green. The building’s location in Agra – which ranks eighth on the World Health Organization ‘s (WHO) list of most polluted cities – has proven less than ideal when it comes to staying pollution-free. Now, India’s Supreme Court is pushing for better pollution protections in order to preserve the mausoleum’s majesty. WHO reported that, as of 2016, “92% of the world’s population lives in places where air quality levels exceed WHO’s Ambient Air Quality guidelines.” It should come as no surprise, then, that the Taj Mahal’s striking white marble is being dyed yellow and green. The nearby Yamuna River also has trash covering its banks, and smog from tanneries and factories further pollutes the surrounding air. Outcries against this environmental and cultural desecration of the beloved mausoleum have prompted India’s government to take swift action. The country’s Supreme Court is leading the charge, with a proposal to ban all plastics, as well as pollution-emitting factories and construction zones, around the building. Related: Uranium-contaminated groundwater found throughout India In addition, the court justices are advocating for a switch to electric and hydrogen vehicles for the area’s residents, as well as a restoration of green cover within the Taj Mahal’s grounds. Those who wish to visit the structure in its most authentic form need not worry, as “replacing present day lawns with tree cover as it existed originally will increase the biomass,” according to a draft document of the plan. In the past “there have been various studies, various plans, but they have not been implemented in right earnest in a coordinated manner,” explained Divay Gupta of the Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH). This time, though, the justices have said that authorities should either restore the structure or tear it down – and we sincerely hope they choose the former. +WHO +INTACH Via Reuters Images via Shutterstock

Comments Off on The Tesla of solar electric yachts launches in New Zealand

The future of boating is electric – and silent. That’s what Dutch company Soel Yachts says, and they’re bringing electric travel to the seas with their SoelCat 12. Inhabitat covered the boat’s design last year , and now the company is launching their sustainably-powered yacht in New Zealand . The yacht is kind to the environment not simply in the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions , but in the reduction of noise pollution as well. The SoelCat 12, which was built in New Zealand, is powered by the sun. Soel Yachts describes the boat as the ‘ Tesla on the water,’ noting while cars are transitioning over to being powered by electricity , the same movement largely hasn’t occurred in boating. They want to revolutionize the boating industry, and are debuting the SoelCat 12, designed in partnership with Naval DC , in Auckland, New Zealand this week. Related: Solar-powered yacht sails silently for a cleaner, greener eco-tourism experience The company says it wasn’t enough to just stick an electric motor on a boat. They kept electric propulsion in mind as they designed the SoelCat 12, evidenced for example in the highly efficient lines of the hull. Traveling at a speed of eight knots, the yacht can run simply on battery power for six hours. Reducing the speed to six knots, the boat can travel for 24 hours – even at night when the yacht’s solar panels aren’t harvesting energy. The boat’s systems can be monitored on a phone or tablet, allowing boaters to see their energy use as in a Tesla, according to Soel Yachts. Soel Yachts co-founder Joep Koster said in a statement the SoelCat 12 “reduces all disturbing sound and CO2 emissions in our harbors, lagoons, and oceans .” The solar electric yacht quietly glides through waves, minimizing disturbance in the form of noise pollution to marine life. And the yacht is still useful even when it’s not in use. Soel Yachts says the boat can become a mobile power station, offering energy for as much as five homes, even in remote locations. + Soel Yachts + Naval DC Images courtesy of Soel Yachts

Comments Off on Chinese Developer Unveils Plans for Cloned Austrian Village Complete With Imported Alpine Air

Following in the footsteps of the world’s first cloned village , a Chinese developer has announced plans to build yet another copy of the historic Alpine town of Hallstatt to offer an idyllic rural retreat for those looking for a quick, convenient escape from China’s polluted urban centers . However this latest resort will go one step further to replicate the Austrian countryside – it will be housed within an extraordinary 11,880-foot-high geodesic dome that will provide visitors with ‘freshly’ imported Alpine air. Read the rest of Chinese Developer Unveils Plans for Cloned Austrian Village Complete With Imported Alpine Air Permalink | Add to del.icio.us | digg Post tags: “april fools” , architecture clone , Beijing air pollution , beijing air quality , Buckminster Fuller , china alpine village , china austrian village , cloned village , duplitecture , ecotourism , geodesic dome , hallstatt austria

Images via gismag TreeHugger has posted many times on capsule hotels , that are so efficient at packing people into small spaces. The German travel company Rotel Tours goes one step further, and puts a capsule hotel on wheels. Tourists sit in the front by day, and move to the rear at night